An Ecological Theme Park???

Keith R

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Jan 1, 2002
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From today's DR1 News:
1. Xcaret Group interested in DR
President Leonel Fernandez met yesterday with a group of Mexican businessmen who are interested in developing an ecological theme park and hotels in what the Presidency web site describes as "areas near the National Park of the East." The further hotel development of the National Park of the East is controversial as many sectors advocate that it be left as a resource sans the hotels.
The top executives of XCaret, an eco-archeological theme park on the Mayan Coast, 75 kms south of Cancun visited with the President. Xcaret has been described as "a Disney-meets-National Geographic" theme park.
The Presidency reported that the Xcaret investors flew over the National Park of the East and have already identified the areas where they would be interested in developing.
Xcaret park executive director Miguel Quintana Pali, David Quintana Morones, Marcos Constandse Redko, who is president of the Association of Owners and Investors of the Riviera Maya, and Rodrigo Constandse visited for XCaret Group, as well as Alejandro Zozaya, representing Am Resort, an affiliate of Apple Vacations. Am Resort operates the Casa del Mar hotel in the area.
The meeting with the President took place at the home of Foreign Relations Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso. Tourism Minsiter Felix Jimenez and Environment Minister Max Puig also took part, as well as the Fanjul brothers, Eduardo Martinez, Ramon Menendez and Leonardo Matos, for Casa de Campo, the La Romana resort development.

Well, seems now we know one of the reasons Leonel decided not to challenge in court Hippo's flawed national protected areas law last year... :ermm:

What in the world is an "ecological theme park"? :confused:

Anybody familiar with XCaret's existing park in Mexico? If so, should we be happy about their interest in the Parque del Este,or filled with trepidation?
 

Mirador

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If you do a quick scan of the 150+ documents listed in google (XCaret - Environmental Protection) your trepidation should go away.
 
Jan 5, 2006
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Keith R said:
Well, seems now we know one of the reasons Leonel decided not to challenge in court Hippo's flawed national protected areas law last year... :ermm:

It is really sad to see how easily these greedy, crooked politicians can be bought!

Keith R said:
What in the world is an "ecological theme park"? :confused:

Whatever it is, we don't need it! That land needs to be left alone and totally protected from any development. If anything, the government needs to make sure that further resources are assigned to remedy whatever damage has been done due to the carelessness of prior administrations.
 

Dolores1

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Interesting reading, but note the date -- 2001.

http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2001/04/15/mas-xcaret.html

Seems there are mixed feelings. It is known that the Casa de Campo owners have land in the area that they have not been allowed to develop in the past -- precisely because it is in a National Park.

May I note that it seems the Mexicans have wised up regarding sustainable development. This group is big time.

President Fernandez is also responsible for allowing Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus to build on a part of the National Park of the East. But that was before there was a law that banned it. Now that the law is ambiguous and has been modified, it is yet to be seen what will happen.

The Air Europa people were not allowed to build their hotel in the area. But these people may have just the right amount of pull.

Stay tuned.
 

Keith R

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Thanks for the article, D. Interesting. Did you see the closing?
El Grupo Xcaret se promueve como el salvador de la naturaleza, mientras que la "acomoda" para los visitantes. A la vez, sus programas de conservaci?n terminan privatizando los recursos naturales de la naci?n.

This article was before Xcaret started its project on dynamiting the reef to create a mega-pier to bring in Carnaval cruise ships to its US$50 entrance-fee theme park. From what I read in the googled articles and on CEDMA's website, they started opposing the project in 2003 and as of a few months ago were still battling it. Among other things, they alleged that Xcaret failed to supply the appropriate environmental impact assessments (EIA) required by law before they were granted permission to build.

Most of the articles I've found so far (including the one from the Los Angeles Times) also point out that Xcaret promised to generate local employment and community revenues and create education projects, but in fact they have mostly shipped in unskilled labor from outside, their education projects have been to teach their workers foreign languages and since they control all access to the park, including transport in and out, the local business have not benefited.

I was already in communication with one of the best-known writers on eco-tourism in Latin America, Ron Mader, who's based in Mexico, about ideas on the subject for the Green Team blog. I note that in a few of the older articles (1996-7) they quote Ron as critical of Xcaret; I'll ask him what he thinks now, nine years later.

Stay tuned.
 

Keith R

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The reason I asked is anyone is familiar with the operation in Mexico -- i.e., have actually visited it, or know someone who has -- is I'd like to hear its pluses and minuses from someone other than Xcaret, any PR firm they hire, or Tourism Minsiter Felix Jimenez, who is hardly an impartial party.

Maybe we should invite the Xcaret people and some activists who work on Parque del Este issues to do a point-counterpoint type of debate on the Green Team blog. Whatcha think? :)
 

paddy

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just check out the site..it had everything you cold ask for..my hotel was attached to it ..the occidental...we went into the park by boat..it would be good for the economy in the dr..my feeling.
 

snowqueen

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Any development on or adjacent to environmentally sensitive lands will have an impact. It is possible to mitigate the damage by implementing certain protection measures, however there will be damage and once you damage an ecosystem, I think it would be difficult to restore it. And restoration does not seem to be high on anyone's list in DR. Just because something can be done, doesn't mean it should be. Again, greed wins out. They can sell it anyway they want, but in the end it is just another way to grab $ from tourists.
 

paddy

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snowqueen said:
Any development on or adjacent to environmentally sensitive lands will have an impact. It is possible to mitigate the damage by implementing certain protection measures, however there will be damage and once you damage an ecosystem, I think it would be difficult to restore it. And restoration does not seem to be high on anyone's list in DR. Just because something can be done, doesn't mean it should be. Again, greed wins out. They can sell it anyway they want, but in the end it is just another way to grab $ from tourists.
you should stand on the shoreline and cheer for the sharks that that prey on the dominicans that jump into these overcrowded yollas to go seek a better life elsewhere..because there on no decent jobs to support their families...or walk the streets at night and witness what being poor has done to the values of the young in this country...what about their ecosystem?? take a trip to playa del carmen,cozumel and check out what a place like xcaret ha s done for the mexican people...gimme a break
 

Chirimoya

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If such a project is to be implemented in such a way that the local population benefits, then it's worth considering. However:

Keith R said:
Most of the articles I've found so far (including the one from the Los Angeles Times) also point out that Xcaret promised to generate local employment and community revenues and create education projects, but in fact they have mostly shipped in unskilled labor from outside, their education projects have been to teach their workers foreign languages and since they control all access to the park, including transport in and out, the local business have not benefited.
 

Mirador

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snowqueen said:
Any development on or adjacent to environmentally sensitive lands will have an impact. It is possible to mitigate the damage by implementing certain protection measures, however there will be damage and once you damage an ecosystem, I think it would be difficult to restore it. And restoration does not seem to be high on anyone's list in DR. Just because something can be done, doesn't mean it should be....QUOTE]


Have you heard the one about how many environmentalists does it take to change a light bulb? A: None, If the light bulb is out, that's the way Nature intended it!
 

NALs

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Jan 20, 2003
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Keith R said:
Most of the articles I've found so far (including the one from the Los Angeles Times) also point out that Xcaret promised to generate local employment and community revenues and create education projects, but in fact they have mostly shipped in unskilled labor from outside, their education projects have been to teach their workers foreign languages and since they control all access to the park, including transport in and out, the local business have not benefited.
This will not be any different than the sugar plantations that were carved in the east by American and Cuban interest in the beginning of the last century.

They:

1. Got the property via extradition of small landowners and getting "preferential treatment" from the Palacio Nacional.

2. They imported all the labor needed first from the English caribbean and later from Haiti, despite an abundant Dominican labor force.

3. Almost all the profits went to banks based in New York City. Profits that were taxed by foreign (mostly American) government to use for building roads, schools, etc while the communities within and around the sugar plantations creating all this wealth remained just as poor if not poorer than before.

It's the same old plan of foreigners abusing this island nation. This country has been cheated of its wealth once too many times.

I'm not against foreign investment (I will be the last one to take such stand), but this Xcaret quote from Keith sounds too much like sugar plantation creation of the 1920s gone Amusement Park creation of the early 2000s.

Same old game, except that now it's the Mexicans.

-NAL
 

Mirador

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shark-denier

paddy said:
you should stand on the shoreline and cheer for the sharks that that prey on the dominicans that jump into these overcrowded yollas to go seek a better life elsewhere...


The media has overdone the image of sharks going after yola passengers. A few days ago, my five-year-old son, Aroa, told me that sharks did not exist, he said that sharks were like monsters in TV cartoons, designed to scare people. I argued with him, and even told him that he had seen sharks before, in a big fish tank in the Aquarium in Santo Domingo, the one you can walk through. He was adamant, and insisted that those graciously gliding gray fish in the Aquarium were not sharks. Now, I'm starting to wonder myself.
 
Jan 12, 2006
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I printed the comments and Keith article in order to read them and digest them.
I am an agnostic, so for now all I have to say is that this "Ecological Theme Park"(???? cooooooo...) sounds to me like putting the fox in charge of guarding the chicken coop.
Josia
 
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baileyboy

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Keith R said:
The reason I asked is anyone is familiar with the operation in Mexico -- i.e., have actually visited it, or know someone who has -- is I'd like to hear its pluses and minuses from someone other than Xcaret, any PR firm they hire, or Tourism Minsiter Felix Jimenez, who is hardly an impartial party.

Maybe we should invite the Xcaret people and some activists who work on Parque del Este issues to do a point-counterpoint type of debate on the Green Team blog. Whatcha think? :)

I have been to the Xcaret park in Mexico. It is beautiful. And they protect all the land around it. ALl the water, that people go snorkling, you have to wear a certain suntan lotion, or else you can't go in the water as it will ruin the water life....and they have people continously picking up garbage, so it's not to go in the water, or benig "trashy" anywhere.

When I read about Ocean Wolrd, and what they offer, it is similiar to Xcaret.

Xcaret has a huge lagoon to snorkle, and inner tube ride to float down the river. And then they also have a beach, where the river goes into the ocean, so you cango there as well. But you can feed the fish, and see the marine life. A bird aviation, having the birds, and lizards etc run about freely. It is like a little sancutary for the animals that reside there, and I really enjoyed it there. I would definately have returned. They do have dolphin shows etc, like Ocean world. But this was on a grander scale. They had restaurants through the place, and all the garbage was put in bins, or picked up by staff.

I think an idea like that would be good for the DR, and I would definaley visit. It would create jobs, but also create money for the island, as well protect the animal habitat.

My two pesos, worth!
lisa